Imported records are being duplicated after import

jordimsant
Tera Guru

yesterday

Something really weird is happenning. My colleagues and I have developed a transform map to import data from a specific excel, but when we run it via "Load 20 records" in data source, it generates duplicated records. We have only field mappings, no main script, no transform scripts, field "Run business rules" is off, there is no previous record in the target table... and despite all of this, duplicates are being generated. Does anybody know why can this be happening?

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M Iftikhar
Kilo Sage

yesterday

Hi @jordimsant ,

This is happening because the Coalesce feature isn't set up correctly on your transform map. The "Load 20 records" function works with what's defined, and in your case, it's not configured to prevent duplicate inserts.

Coalesce is the fundamental mechanism in ServiceNow transform maps for preventing duplicate records. It determines if an incoming record from the import set should create a new record (insert) or update an existing one (update) in the target table.

How to Fix It

  1. Identify a Unique Field: Examine the data in your Excel sheet and identify a field or a combination of fields that uniquely identifies each record. Common choices are an employee ID, an asset tag, or a serial number.

  2. Edit Field Mapping: Open your transform map in ServiceNow and navigate to the Field Maps related list.

  3. Set Coalesce to True: Find the field mapping for your unique field. Double-click the cell in the Coalesce column for that field and set the value to true (the checkbox will be ticked).

  4. Save and Retest: Save the transform map and re-run the "Load 20 records" test. It should now correctly identify and update the records instead of creating duplicates.

Additional Checks

  • Case Sensitivity: If your unique field is text-based, make sure the "Coalesce case sensitive" option is checked on the transform map if your data is case-sensitive (e.g., user1 and User1 should be treated as different users).

  • Business Rules: While you said "Run business rules" is off, be aware that some business rules might still run regardless and could have an impact. Always test in a non-production environment.


Thanks & Regards,
Muhammad Iftikhar
If my response helped, please mark it as the accepted solution so others can benefit as well.

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